thedudeabidz

Hi. I've been using a SoundMatters Foxl bluetooth speaker for tunes on my commute. The fact that the company offers a handlebar mount for the speaker was one of the big selling points. It sounds great, but it's not as loud as I'd like when in heavy traffic, and it's not waterproof and very fragile.

So I'm wondering if there are any good, loud, rugged, waterproof, bluetooth speakers that people have had luck with? Amazon has so many to choose from that I'm just confused.

Thanks.

JohnJ80

just say no.

DrIsotope

I'm absolutely happy with my Boombot Rex. If you don't care about color, they have some limited edition models on clearance now on the cheap-- $18 for the REX and $30 for the PRO. The standard colors are cheaper on Amazon, usually. I've been using a REX for over a year now, I love it. Loud, doubles as speakerphone, will do Siri, has a port for wired connection-- it's pretty great. When I went to the site to copy the link, I ended up buying an Odd Future PRO-- it's double the amp power of the REX, and I'm pretty jazzed to try it out. That will make 3 Boombots in the house, as I also bought my wife a REX to use as a hands-free speakerphone in her car.

The bike mount is also clever and works well.

Go away.

Seattle Forrest

thedudeabidz

DrIsotope, I went to that damn site, clicked on the Pro, and there was the model with the Grateful Dead stealie face on it, so naturally I bought one. Funny, but the same model costs $100 on Amazon, so I bought it from the Boombot site. I can't wait to try it out on the bike. Thanks for the recommendation!

Seattle, I would love that setup for Hub on Wheels or any other big riding event. There's always someone with a set up similar to that, though not quite that extreme. And they're always playing electronic dance music for some reason.

Drew Eckhardt 

My wife has some water-proof earbuds that work great when she's swimming in a pool.

Those will let you have your music as loud as you want without disturbing people around you.

canklecat

I'll have to ask the guy who keeps showing up for our group rides with a bike-boombox. It's annoying as hell, so it must be good.

DrIsotope

Had my first ride this morning with my new PRO, and that sucker is solid. It doesn't seem much louder than the REX (certainly not twice as loud,) but it definitely has a fuller, richer sound. Looking forward to seeing how battery life compares between the PRO and the REX-- I could get 10+ hours per charge on the REX, I'll be happy with 6-7 from the PRO.

BikeLite

Anybody try a UE Roll on a bike?

Bahnzo

Ya know, I've thought for some time about getting a speaker, but I worry that it'll cut off some of my sensory perception. I've learned over the years that I "see" as much with my ears when riding so I'm worried that music will ruin that.

But at the same time I'd really love to have some Pantera to pump me up when I'm struggling up a hill.

Road Fan

I'd love to drive a Pantera up a hill or down a hill!

hurtmypony

The Outdoor Tech Buckshot has a decent volume and is water resistant if that is important.

https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Tech-...ckshot+speaker

fietsbob

Just Sing, It will annoy people, as well ..

bulldog1935

used to sail with madrigal singers - they never got an actual complaint at the marina, but comments were made about the strange sounds coming off the lake at night

TenSpeedV2

I had a Boombot Rex and I ended up killing it after some serious abuse in rain, snow, and bike delivery. Charging port broke on it. Now am using the Boombot Pro that I had purchased from a bike shop that I visited. Sound is much better and is louder at least to me. Battery life has been solid!

BBassett

Fugoo XL if you can handle the weight. Loud, waterproof, dustproof. can recharge other USB items making it dual purpose. It needs 120v to recharge.

DrIsotope

I'm as much an audiophile as the next guy, but a 5 pound speaker on a bike is beyond the pale. I'm no weight-weenie by any measure, but that's more weight than I carry in water.

That Panamericana wouldn't happen to be the version with a battery on it, by chance?

noisebeam

The original JBL Charge fits in a water bottle holder and is plenty loud. I use it everyday for my commute. Used ones go for ~$50. The newer versions 2, 3 are larger and don't fit in cage.

0ne

I use a JBL Flip 3. Its got good sound, decent bass and volume, "splash proof", rechargeable, and it fits perfectly inside my Blackburn Carbon bottle cage.

BBassett

Apparently, you aren't the audiophile you think you are. To answer your question, yes, there are no less than 15 batteries on my baby and that doesn't count anything in the trailer. The battery you are referring to weighs 17 lbs. and holds 30.06Ah.

Jaywalk3r

This.

Use earbuds. They allow 100 percent of ambient sounds through, and won't annoy everyone else.

Rollfast

Nobody ever complained that my little AM set played obnoxious oldies. It's the local station and just down the road as well, been there for 70 years.

Tape2012

I like my BT earbuds. I often listen to talk radio and the earbuds let ambient sounds through while stopping wind noise in my ears. In fact, I still wear them when the radio is off.

Secret Squirrel

+1 to Boombot Rex clipped to the shoulder strap of my commuting backpack. It is about the size and shape of a Big Mac.

ItsJustMe

Yeah, because the rest of the world wants to hear your stuff. It's bad enough cars do this.